Footsteps in the Sand
by DeathMeetsLife
Summary: Those times when there are only one set of footprints? That's when I carried you. SetoxOC
1. The Welcoming Party

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. However, I kind of wish I did, because whoever does is getting filthy rich off of this franchise. *hurries to Wikipedia***

**A/N: I don't know how long I've been working on this… years, really, off and on. I cannot tell you how many times I changed this chapter alone… I think that the only thing that is the same from the first draft in 2006 (yes, 2006!) is the character's name, and I think I changed her last name, anyway. Alas, here is the first chapter – I cannot say if there will be more, but I have an overwhelmingly large amount of diskspace taken up by random excerpts of this thing, so hopefully something will come out of it. Positive feedback will also help the process along… if nobody likes it, I will not continue. Anyway, please enjoy.**

**Dedicated to: Danielle, because we first came up with this at some ungodly hour during Christmas in Colorado, all those years ago. It's finally ready! *cue tears of joy***

**Enjoy! **

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter One**

**The Welcoming Party**

The footsteps in the hallway echoed, almost deafening in volume to the sole occupant of the corridor. Moments before, hundreds of feet scuffled quickly to their destinations, and the sounds of slamming lockers had been barely identifiable over the between-class chattering. Now, the students sat at their desks, continuing their conversations from the hall, and the teachers shuffled their papers into order.

The footsteps stopped. The girl looked up at the class number and checked it against the slip of paper she had been given. She checked it again, and took a deep breath before raising a hand to the door and giving it a quick rap. The hubbub in the room died down instantly, and the door slid open, the teacher beckoning the new student inside.

As she glanced around the room, she noticed the looks directed her way – some inquisitive, some scrutinizing, and still others scathing – but soon returned her attention to the instructor, who had already begun in his introduction to the class.

"…As it is difficult to transfer in the middle of the school year, I hope that you will be able to assist Mikomi in any way possible. Please," he now turned to the new student, "give us a short introduction, if you may."

"Of course." She faced the class, feeling their weighty stares. "My name is Mikomi Hibana, and I have just recently moved to Domino from Tokyo. My favorite classes are art and lunch," two guys in the back, a blonde and brunette, both laughed and shared a look, "and I guess I plan on joining several athletic clubs." She gave an apologetic look to the teacher. "I really don't know what else to say."

"That's fine. Now, if you could take that seat in the back, between Wheeler and Gardener, we can get started on our first lesson." Mikomi just looked around until she saw a girl give a slight wave, and she rushed to the empty seat beside.

The girl turned in her seat, a kind smile on her lips. "Hi, I'm Téa. I guess we'll be neighbors from now on."

Mikomi returned the grin. "I guess so." She stuck out her hand. "Can I count on you to be my tour guide?"

Téa laughed and grasped the offered hand tightly. "Of course." Mikomi grinned, sweeping her brown locks over her shoulder; at least she had one companion in the chaos she had been thrown into.

"And what am I, chopped liver?"

The brunette turned her attention to her left, where a friendly looking blonde grinned widely at her. She recognized him as one of the two who had laughed during her introduction. He also stretched forth a hand, which she took firmly. His grin widened, if such a thing was possible. "The name's Joey Wheeler. This bum on the other side of me's Tristan, and the dwarf in front is Yugi. I guess you've been thrown right into our little family, Komi!"

The girl let out a small laugh, happy that she'd already been accepted into such a group and thinking about her new nickname. "So I have!"

"Hibana, I don't even have you in my class for ten minutes, and you're already ignoring my lectures!"

"Sorry, Sensei!"

The teacher grumbled and continued his speech. Tristan and Joey completely ignored him, instead choosing to flick paper footballs at random students. Téa, before concentrating on her notes, gave Mikomi a wink.

"We'll talk later, then!"

* * *

It was the first time that Mikomi had to change classes, so it took some time getting to her science course. Having been an advanced placement student in her previous school, she had been stuck in the senior physics class, and the lab allotted to the course was on the other side of the building. When she arrived, however, she had to be introduced again, and she suffered the analytical stares of the third-years, as well.

The chemistry teacher seemed like a nice enough woman, and she seemed to know the awkwardness of the "first day." The introduction was short and to the point, and the teacher handed Mikomi the book provided for the course before waving her off to the only empty seat – the table at the back of the room.

As Mikomi lowered herself onto the stool, she glanced over to whom she assumed to be her lab partner. He was tall – over six-foot, she could tell – and had neatly cropped brown hair. His sapphire eyes cast a disinterested look over his materials, and he soon pulled out some unknown papers and began reading over them, clearly bored.

Mikomi put out her hand. "I guess I will be your new lab partner, then."

The boy glanced at her gesture and returned his attention to the files in front of him. "Evidently." She frowned, retracting her hand.

"My name's Mikomi Hibana."

"So I heard," he returned in another flat tone.

Mikomi was getting frustrated. Where all the seniors this arrogant? "And who might I have the pleasure of addressing?" she inquired snidely. The boy shot her a glare and sneered.

"Seto Kaiba."

The girl frowned again and turned away, deciding to concentrate on the instructor, rather than her rude partner. She made a mental note to ask about him at lunch, as she was sure that Téa could answer all of her questions.

* * *

Joey nearly choked on his milk. "Kaiba's your lab partner?!" Tristan began to laugh hysterically at the news.

"Good luck with that one, Komi."

"Oh, stop it, you two," Téa scolded them. "Sorry, Mikomi, but Seto Kaiba has a bit of, um, history with our group."

"He isn't bad or anything," Yugi jumped in. "He just isn't socially… adept."

"Moneybags is the CEO of that big gaming company, Kaiba Corp." Mikomi turned her attention again to Joey. "He cares about two things: his business and his little brother. Not much else piques his Highness' interests. He's cutthroat ruthless, too."

Yugi sighed. "Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit, Joey?"

"Remember your Grandpa, Yug?" Yugi's mouth twisted into an indecisive frown. "Anyway, you've got your work cut out for you, Mikomi."

The brunette began to feel a little unsettled. "Er, thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey, hey, hey! Who do we have here?"

Joey's face lit up. "Yo, Duke! This here's the new girl to our class." The newly introduced boy slid a chair in between Mikomi and Téa, despite her objections. Mikomi just raised an eyebrow.

"Well, aren't you a pretty one!" Duke examined her features, and Mikomi turned away from him when she felt his gaze linger a bit too long on her chest. He just smirked and flipped his bangs out of his eyes. "Would you like me to show you around, later? I can take you to someplace nice for dinner, afterwards."

Mikomi gave him a tight-lipped grin. "Well, that's certainly kind of you, Duke, but I like my guys a little less effeminate." Joey and Tristan looked from each other to Duke's astonished face, and the two were hollering with laughter. Mikomi smirked, pleased with herself.

"Suit yourself." Obviously wounded by the brunette's comment, the green eyed man turned to Joey. "How's your sister doin'?"

"You stay away from her, slime ball. Her innocence will not be poisoned by you," Joey warned his friend with a serious look.

Téa suddenly caught Mikomi's attention with a astonished gasp. "Are you serious going to eat all of that?!"

The newcomer confusedly looked down at her lunch tray. "I'd have to throw it away if I didn't."

"How can you eat all of that?!"

"I have a fast metabolism, and I exercise," Mikomi shrugged. Their conversation grabbed the attention of the boys. "I love food. I have to cook for myself, anyway."

Tristan frowned. "Why is that?"

"I live alone."

"What?!" She jumped at her friends' collective exclamations, and briefly took notice of a few glares from other tables that were being sent to hers.

"It's not that big of a deal. My parents live in America, but I wanted to stay here. I've been living alone for the past few years," she shrugged. Téa leaned towards her.

"Don't you feel lonely?" she asked concernedly.

Again, Mikomi shrugged. "I have a cat. I always make friends when I move again, so I hang out with them most of the time."

Joey leaned back in his chair. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "You make it sound like you move a lot."

"Five schools in just as many years." Before the others could say anything, she continued. "My uncle is my benefactor, so when he moves, I have to move." The bell in the hallway rang, and Mikomi looked down at her tray. "Crap. I didn't finish."

Tristan laughed and clapped her on the back as his blonde friend grinned. "It's alright. It all tastes like boiled rubber, anyway!"

Clearly used to the boys' antics, Téa rolled her eyes and pulled Mikomi with her when she stood. "Come on. It's time for P.E."

* * *

Mikomi let the door close heavily behind her, and she flopped on the couch, tired but happy. A black kitten jumped onto her chest, rubbing her hands to get her to pet him. The brunette smiled. "Don't worry, I'll pet you plenty. You act like I've neglected you for days." She relaxed for a while with her pet, but she soon moved him to grab the newspaper. "Jobs, jobs, jobs… here we are. Hm… hey, Bya-chan, do you think a can be a waitress?"

Blue-green eyes stared back. He mewed.

"You're right. I'll give them a call tonight. But for now," she stood and stretched, sighing when she felt her bones pop, "it's dinner time, Byakuya."

She poured the cat food in the bowl and laughed a little when the kitten dove in whole-heartedly. Pulling some ingredients from the refrigerator, Mikomi began to make her own dinner, boiling some water on the stove.

"Well, Byakuya, I made friends pretty quickly this time. Pretty good for the first day, hm?" The cat looked at her briefly before returning to his meal. "They're all nice," her thoughts turned to Devlin and her unwelcoming lab partner, "for the most part, if not a little quirky. But, I guess that means I'll fit right in, won't I?"

She crouched down, scratching Byakuya under his chin. She frowned. "I wonder how they'll react when they find out that I talk to my cat."

Bya-chan meowed, and she laughed, setting him on her shoulder as she tended to her meal.


	2. Pulling Through

**Disclaimer: if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would make LittleKuriboh of the Abridged Series my co-writer. That's how much I love them. **

**A/N: Wrote most of this during a cable outage this weekend, which is making it damn near impossible to do my homework (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!). I've already planned out many of the chapters for this fic, and I have an insane number of excerpts for it, so I know where this is going. In case you are a new reader of mine, my updates come very slowly, as school takes up the majority of my life, especially now with AP tests and finals are looming at the horizon. As a matter of fact, this may be the last update of anything until summer. Sorry, guys!**

**Dedicated to: Patriot16, Strike of Shadow, XXSayarissaXX, and especially to Menchi, who said that this has the potential to be one of her favorite stories ever. I'll try to live up to that, Menchi! And thank you all who reviewed! **

**Enjoy!**

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 2**

**Pulling Through**

The brunette sighed as she slumped onto a park bench. Her weekend had been frustrating so far, to say the least: three interviews, three rejections, three "I'm not quite sure you're exactly what we're looking for"-s. For god's sake, she was applying as a waitress, not as a porn model! She was beginning to think that the restaurants she had visited so far had wanted only someone with bleached hair, a skinny waist, and a perfect D-cup.

She held up the newspaper to check the address of the final job. Pushing herself up, she walked in the direction of the restaurant, happy that it was not too far. Within fifteen minutes, she found herself looking up at the modest sign above the simply ornate door. The name of the shop, _Kaneyama_, was emblazoned upon the sign.

Mikomi took a deep breath and walked in.

Her first impression of the restaurant was its formality. The decoration was sparse but tasteful, and she took note of the black chairs and tables with the deep red cloth draped over the surface. The reception area was elegant, and the hostess, who had yet to notice the brunette, seemed to be pleasant enough and dressed modestly. Looking around, she noticed that the rest of the staff dressed accordingly, serving to men in suits and women in nice dresses, although it was only a few hours past mid-day. The guests' ensembles almost made Mikomi blush in embarrassment as she looked down at her own v-neck and khakis.

The hostess glanced up, catching sight of her and smiling. Mikomi smiled back nervously. "Hello. A table for how many?"

"Oh, no," Mikomi corrected her, "I'm here for the interview. For waitressing?"

The hostess thought for a moment, before something keen to recognition passed across her face. "Ah, of course. Were you the one that called in to us yesterday?" Mikomi nodded. "Right this way, then, please. Mister Hojou was very impressed with your manners over the phone, last night. He wanted to interview you himself."

Mikomi paled as the women knocked on an office door in the back of the restaurant. "Who is Mister Hojou?"

"The owner, of course."

Mikomi swallowed nervously as the door swung open.

* * *

Mikomi stared hopelessly at the pieces before her, glancing occasionally at the diagram the teacher had provided for them. In the picture, each part was labeled "A," "B," "C," etcetera, but she could not for the life of her make sense of the instructions.

Yes, as a matter of fact, it _was_ rocket science.

Rather, it was the lab that the senior physics class was currently working on where the partners build a small rocket using the parts and instructions provided by the instructor and launch it to see how high it goes. Mikomi glanced over at her partner.

Seto Kaiba typed away on his laptop, most likely entering new information into a spreadsheet or mailing instructions to the Kaiba Corporations office. Eventually, he acknowledged her glare, giving her a rude glance in return.

"What do you want?" Mikomi frowned. He had yet to actually address her.

"I _want_ you to help me understand this and pass this lab." She glared harder. "It's your grade, too."

"I already know how to build a rocket, Useless."

The young woman refrained from slapping him as she raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Would you care to demonstrate, Mr. Kaiba? Because I don't think that–" She cut off her words when she saw her partner's hands fly into action, fitting pieces and screwing them together without a single glance to the instructions. In about five minutes, a foot-long rocket sat in the middle of her desk; the rest of the class was still working on their own.

"Wow."

The man smirked, returning to his computer and typing faster than he had before.

Mikomi looked at the young CEO, astonished at his accomplishment. Although Seto Kaiba was a curmudgeonly bastard, his intelligent and skill were not to be sniffed at, and, for the first time, Mikomi Hibana realized that it might not be so bad to have Kaiba as her lab partner.

As the Friday bell rang, the class stood from their seats with relief. The teacher tried calling last-minute details of their homework to them, but they were not listening; the week was over, and it was time to turn off their brains for a couple of days.

As Mikomi packed up her bag, she noticed the rest of the group waiting for her. Panicked, she hurriedly finished stuffing her books into the backpack, slinging it onto her shoulder. "Thanks for waiting, guys. What's up?"

Joey smiled. "Just wonderin' if you'd like to go and get some burgers with us, Komi. Just hang out, ya know?" Téa was smiling hopefully at the only other girl, mentally willing her to agree.

Mikomi gave a short laugh before nodding her head. Immediately, Joey and Tristan hooked their arms in hers, practically pulling her off the ground, and headed out to the parking lot, the cheerful chant for food dancing from their lips.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Game Shop, just hanging around and playing video games. The guys tried to teach her to play Duel Monsters, even going so far as to give her a deck of her own, but she gave up after a few times. The deck went into her backpack to be forgotten, and she continued her game with Téa.

By the time the clock struck seven, everyone was hungry again, and the gang moved to Mikomi's apartment for a free dinner. The guys fawned over Byakuya as Téa helped prepare the quick dinner with the hostess, and movies continued until midnight, when the guys were kicked out of the home. The girls continued their small party of two until late, and the sun found them sleeping on the living room floor that Saturday morning.

* * *

The first time that she saw Kaiba out of the school environment was at her job at Kaneyama.

It had been a normal night: a moderate flow of customers, the occasional melodrama in the kitchen, and the quiet gossiping of the girls on break. After being deemed worthy, Mikomi had been given the job of waiting on the reserved rooms – spaces used for large parties, usually business meetings. As the hour hand moved closer towards eight, the hostess beckoned to her from across the room.

"Yes, Hina-san?" Mikomi asked as she neared the blonde.

"We've a large group coming in a few minutes, and they have the back rooms reserved. Ren will take over your normal rounds, and you'll just attend to these people coming in, alright?" Hina briefed her, handing the brunette a stack of menus. "These are important guests, and they come here quite often, so please be on your best behavior."

"Of course," Mikomi agreed, giving a short nod. She hurried back to the rooms and straightened everything, setting the menus in place in the process.

She had just finished when she heard the guests approaching. Plastering a smile on her face, she turned to greet them. "Welcome to Kaneyama. I'll be your server today; my name is Mikomi," she continued her practiced lines as she guided guests to their seats. "May I take your drink orders?"

One man, who was heavy-set and whose hair was beginning to show signs of thinning, shook his head. "Not quite yet; we are still waiting on one more."

Mikomi cocked her head to the side, playing the part of the cute waitress. "Of course! I will return shortly." She left the rooms and walked swiftly into the back and around a corner, leaning against the wall. She spoke briefly with servers as they passed, keeping an eye on the rooms at the same time. Finally, she saw a tall figure make its way to the doors, and she emerged from her place to seat the guest.

As she walked closer and took a good look at the man, she stopped. He, too, looked up at the waitress, a particularly evil smirk spreading across his lips.

"Well, look who we have here: the newest addition to the nerd herd."

Mikomi winced, trying to ignore his tone. "If you would please follow me, sir…"

The night continued with Mikomi running between the rooms and the bar, bringing outrageous amounts of sake to the businessmen. She noticed, however, that Seto did not take a single sip of alcohol, which almost disappointed her; she was curious as to what kind of a drunk he was.

The food came, and, as she set it before the inebriated men, she had to deftly maneuver around some wandering hands. She noticed Seto finding great amusement in her actions.

As the dinner drew to a close, she stood against the back wall, listening to the deals and contracts Kaiba was shamelessly working out of his associates. As they began to shakily stand, Mikomi called to the valets to ready some taxis for the guests. One by one, the men left, until only Seto and Mikomi were left at the table.

"So I'll have to deal with you for business meetings, now, too?" Seto grunted mockingly, sipping from his iced tea. "Am I that fascinating to you?" He smirked.

Mikomi growled. "You're about as fascinating as Nakamura-sensei's lectures on classic literature." The man's smirk fell. "Anything else I can get you while you still have the power to torture me?"

Kaiba released a snort and signed the bill. Pulling on his blazer, he brushed past his classmate. "I can torture you anytime I'd like, Useless." He left the restaurant, leaving a gaping Mikomi behind.

Picking up the abandoned check, she scanned the prices before her eyes came to a rest at the bottom. She prickled with anger and snarled her hate for the man.

"_Five percent tip?!_"


	3. I'm Having a What!

**Disclaimer: no own. If did, I would use my influence to sell my younger sibling on the black market without being ridiculed. **

**A/N: Power's out. Might as well write! At least, that's how I felt… until my computer ran out of battery. So, then, I had to write almost this entire chapter in the old-fashioned way: pencil and paper. I could only be happy that my iPod had the Abridged Series podcast on it, bringing me and my brother endless entertainment while the rain continued. **

**Okay, I know I said that Chapter 2 was the last I could put out before summer, but I was wrong! The power outage prevented me from my homework, so I had nothing to do but this. I hope that this lives up to some of y'guys' expectations, because this is the direction the story is going in for a while! **

**Dedicated to: Menchi, once again. I honestly believe that you are one of the most supportive reviewers I have ever had. Thank you, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Enjoy!**

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 3**

**I'm Having a What?!**

"_Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Taylor, please report to the counselor's office. The principal did not appreciate the rubber snake. I repeat, Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor, please report to the counselor's office."_

Mikomi looked over at the culprits sniggering through their food. She sighed and kicked Tristan in the shin, causing him to yelp and choke on his lunch.

"Come on, you felons. Get going."

Mikomi's first month at the school was coming to a close, and she had found fast friends in Yugi and the rest. Out of all of them, she felt closest to Joey and Téa, but she also enjoyed Bakura's quiet opinions and found humor in Duke's constant flirtations with any being in a skirt.

On the odd occasion, she had also met with their out-of-school friends. While travelling with his sister and her exhibit, Marik had stopped briefly in Domino to pop in on the gang. His strongest connection seemed to be with Bakura, and Mikomi had found it odd that, when talking with his tanned friend, the Brit had an almost sinister smirk on his lips. The brunette had taken a liking to the Egyptian, and she was sad to see him go after only a few days.

Finishing off her lunch, Mikomi took a big gulp of water. Next was her P.E. class, and she needed her hydration. She waved goodbye to her remaining friends and headed off to the locker room.

During Physical Education, she managed to finish first in the running exercises, but she was ashamed to think of how poor her upper body strength was when she could only complete a few chin-ups. Téa teased her in the locker room and on their way to Literature, where Mikomi nearly fell asleep to the sound of Nakamura-sensei's monotone voice. Half-way through the period, the troublesome two made their way back to their seats, wearing twin grins.

As the students stood to change to their science classes, the loudspeakers released a loud whine.

"_All second and third years please make their way to the auditorium for an announcement. I repeat, all second and third years please make their way to the auditorium for an announcement by the principle and Himura-sensei."_

* * *

Mikomi pushed through the bustling students in the auditorium the best she could, and she eventually spotted a shock of golden hair through the crowd. She squirmed up to him, narrowly avoiding a third year's elbow. The brunette tugged on his sleeve.

"Hey, Joey, what's going on here?" She nearly had to yell for him to hear her over everyone else's voices echoing around the room.

"Dunno, Komi… I'd ask Yugi, but I can't find him. Damn the genes that make that kid short. Yo, Tristan!" The other boy joined them, but he had no idea about what was happening, either. The hubbub began to settle down when a woman approached the microphone on the stage.

"Hello, students," she began, pushing her square-framed glasses further up her nose, "for those of you who don't know me, I am Himura Nana, your school consular."

"We know her _very_ well," Joey snickered, earning a high-five from Tristan and a sharp elbow from Mikomi.

"That's because you keep getting in trouble, dumbass."

Himura-sensei continued. "The principle and I have seen, during the past several years, the maturity levels of you students dropping dramatically. Frankly, I am shocked at how many graduates last year acted like they were in their first year of junior high. Because of this issue, we have come to the decision that we should prepare you for the next chapter of your life.

"This course will mature and define you as a young adult. The second and third year students, your partner in this course will be your lab partner from your science class. However, if you are both girls or both boys, then please report to me after this introduction. If you can, please get into your pairs and we can continue."

Joey set off to find Téa with a sigh, and Tristan began to make his way up to the consular for his new partner. Mikomi decided to push towards the back, and, once she broke free of the crowd, found her partner against the wall, as she had expected.

She scowled at him. "Guess we're stuck this time, Kaiba."

"Unfortunately." He crossed his arms over his chest, and the girl joined him against the wall. Both were content to stand in silence. Mikomi had given up conversation with him long before.

It took a good ten minutes before everything was organized, and everyone stood with their respective partners. Himura-sensei cleared her throat to regain the students' attention. Mikomi shifted her gaze from the floor in front of her to the stage. "Now that you are in your pairs, I will tell you the assignment. The two of you," she gestured to the couples, "are to act like a married couple."

Chaos erupted.

"I have to do _what_?!"

"This is ridiculous!"

"Can I switch with anyone?"

Mikomi stared at the woman at the podium, unaware of her dropped jaw. She glanced at Seto and was pleased to find him glaring at the woman, his face in a similar expression of disbelief as hers.

"In addition," the woman continued, trying to be heard over the voices of the teens, "you will be using this." She held up the object.

Hibana Mikomi wanted to die.

* * *

"So we have to take care of this thing for a _month_?!" Mikomi held up the mechanical baby. "This is the worst project I have ever been given."

"_You and your partner must care for this robotic child for the rest of this month,"_ Himura had said, _"and it will grade you on your performance. You must take care of its basic needs, such as feeding, clothing, and bathing it, and its emotional needs, like playing with it when it wants to or soothing it when it cries. _

"_We will activate them a three-thirty when you leave school, so please go meet with your partner then and discuss your plan of action. If you break, lose, or deactivate the infant, you and your partner will fail and be required to do social work in a preschool over the summer break."_

"Do you drive yourself here?"

Mikomi nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll follow you to your house, then, and you can drop off your car. Simpler that way," Seto muttered. "We'll be going to my house."

The girl blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"We have to meet, don't we?" he looked down at her, his voice taking on a condescending tone. Mikomi frowned and repeated his words from earlier.

"Unfortunately."

Kaiba snorted.


	4. Motherhood is Not a Gift

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. It's pointless to even wish that I did, anymore. Stop rubbing it in!**

**A/N: Another product of the power outage. I find it quite funny that I manage to write so many chapters in a simple four hour blackout, when I can barely find time to write one during the winter break. Alas, this is yet another chapter to hold you guys off until summer! I've actually written an outline for every chapter of this fic, and there are about twenty-one in all… might have to write more, though. They are actually getting longer the more I write them, so, even though it doesn't seem like that many, they actually are. **

**Dedicated to: Hitsuji87 and XXSayarissaXX, who have both favorited this story! Thanks for your support, guys! Also, thank you to those of you who have reviewed or alerted this fic! Me love you long time!**

**Enjoy!**

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 4**

**Motherhood is Not a Gift**

"It needs a name."

Kaiba looked up from the manual, giving the brunette an annoyed glare. "What are you prattling on about, now?"

Mikomi sighed, lifting the "baby" to sit on her lap. "This thing needs a name. It's part of the guidelines." She lifted the packet the school provided from them. Seto rolled his eyes.

"I don't care what you call it."

"It has to be a joint effort, Kaiba," Mikomi inwardly smirked when she saw him twitch. "He is _our_ child, after all." Another twitch. "I was thinking of maybe something along the lines of… Bara." The response was immediate.

"Hell, no."

Internally cackling, Mikomi kept a straight face, pretending to be offended. "Why not?! It's a perfectly good name, isn't it?!"

"Robotic or not, no child of mine will be named after some pansy flower." The girl could hear the anger in his voice rising.

After receiving the "baby" and a ride to the Kaiba manor, the pair had been reading and attempting to figure out the robot child from hell. Mikomi was finding great amusement in aggravating Kaiba, but she knew she would have to stop soon before he got too angry.

"Just choose something normal, like Aki or something," he ground out. "I pity any child you have the misfortune to name in the future."

Deciding to ignore the last comment, Mikomi shrugged. "Sure, let's go with that."

"With what?!"

"Aki."

"Where do you keep coming up with these things, Useless?"

"You, Jackass." She scowled. "You have never once addressed me by name, Kaiba. It's not that hard." He gave the woman a condescending look.

"And this pertains to this pathetic excuse for a project, how?"

"You can't keep calling the mother of your child 'Useless,' can you? I sound like your baby-mama."

"My _what_?"

"Sorry. American term. My point is, if we're going to be stuck here with each other every day, we might as well be on good terms. I don't know about you, but I do not want to be stuck in a preschool all summer. I'm not fabulous with little kids."

Kaiba snorted and set the book down on his lap. "Agreed, Hibana. I refuse to be around screaming children that long."

The young woman chuckled a bit, a sly smile on her lips. "You say that you pity my children, but what about your own?" He glared at her.

"Hibana…"

"Alright, alright. Let's try and feed this thing, hubby."

* * *

After several failed attempts, the couple finally managed to feed Aki – the robot had come with "food," which was a plastic spoon with a microchip inside – and the robot went down for its "nap."

Kaiba and Mikomi sat at the kitchen table with papers strewn about them, contracts and study notes for the girl's Pre-Calculus exam. As the clock struck five-thirty, the sound of two car doors shutting resonated throughout the house, and Seto looked up from his laptop, a softer look coming across his eyes. Mikomi noticed and stored the information in the back of her mind.

Within a few minutes, a black blur barreled through the doorway, colliding with the still-sitting Seto. As Mikomi blinked, the blur turned into a small teenager, chatting animatedly with the elder boy. After a few seconds, the chatter died down as the boy took note of the other person in the room.

"Who're you?" He asked somewhat rudely, rising an eyebrow at the girl as he gave her a quick once-over.

A bit agitated at his rudeness, Mikomi returned his scrutinizing gaze. "Mikomi Hibana. Who're you?" She responded just as brusquely.

"Mokuba Kaiba."

The two continued to glare at each other. The girl wondered vaguely why Kaiba had not yet removed the boy from his neck when he had clearly said earlier that he could not tolerate children.

"_He cares about two things: his business and his little brother."_

It clicked. "Oh, you're Kaiba's younger brother?"

Mokuba's glare lessened, mulling over something in his head. Then, a grin stretched across his lips. "You're Brother's lab partner!"

The ice between the two broke, and Mokuba released his brother to talk to the girl.

"So you've heard about me, huh? Your brother doesn't seem to be the most forthcoming about information like that."

"Yeah, but not from Seto. I talk a lot with Téa, and a bit with Yugi."

As the two continued getting to know each other, Seto motioned a man in sunglasses over to him, whispering in his ear. The man nodded and walked away, returning with a small backpack and setting it by the table. Mokuba looked up. "Oh! Thanks, Roland."

The man bowed. "My pleasure, Master Mokuba."

Mokuba returned to his new friend. "So, what are you doing here, anyways?"

"Your brother and I are working on a project together for the next month, so get ready to see a lot more of me, kid," Mikomi explained, ruffling his wild mane. She looked down at her watch and nearly fell out of her chair. "Crap! It's this late, already? Sorry, Kaiba, I have to get to work by six-thirty, and I still have to go home and change." The young man nodded.

"Roland." The man reappeared by Seto's side. "Take Hibana home." The man bowed, taking Mikomi's bag in his hand.

"Um, I can take that!" When Roland refused, she looked to her lab partner. "I assume you'll have Aki, tonight?"

"That's how it appears."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Nice meeting you, Mokuba!" The girl then rushed after the driver, who had already begun his way to the garage.

Mokuba looked over at his brother, a little, crafty smile forming on his lips. "Hey, brother, she seems nice."

Seto continued to type, refusing to look up from his work. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it."

Mokuba twisted his mouth into a pout, pulling a few books from his bag. "Well, I like her."

The older brother snorted, his fingers pausing over the keys. Glancing out the window, he caught sight of the town car winding away from the house. "Hm."

He closed his computer.


	5. Into the Swing of Things

**Disclaimer: I own a deck, but the only thing **_**that**_** proves is that I am one hell of a dork. **

**A/N: Most of this chapter has been sitting in my YGO folder for years, but I revamped it a bit. I was glad that I could use it, too, because finals start on Wednesday. Shoot me! Anyway, I would like to point out that, yes, I'm timeskipping, and, no, you may not murder me with an axe. Even though there has been very little interaction between Seto and Mikomi and the timeskip makes this fact even more obvious than it previously was, things are about to start heating up really soon, so hold your horses! Don't abandon me just yet! **

**Dedicated to: All of by loyal reviewers, and to a few newcomers as well! Also, thank you to those of you who put me on your favorites lists and alerts lists! You all make Skye one happy camper. **

**Enjoy!**

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 5**

**Into the Swing of Things**

As the second week of the assignment came to a close, both Mikomi and Kaiba (to the girl's surprise) fell neatly into the pattern of taking care of RoboAki.

The waitress found some of her sick pleasure in forcing the baby on her partner for as many nights as possible, and Seto found his own in scaring Mikomi witless for chucking the robot at her from across the hall. Afterwards, of course, he would always receive an earful, but he just scoffed. "I don't need this grade. I already _have_ a stable job."

As a matter of fact, his stable job frequently collided with her chosen occupation, as it became easiest to trade the "child" after a business dinner.

"…Hello? Earth to Komi?"

Mikomi snapped out of her thoughts, blinking wildly at a too-close Joey Wheeler. "Eh, sorry. What is it?"

Yugi smiled. "We were just wondering how your assignment with Kaiba is going."

"Oh, it's going fine. He doesn't really care for the most part, but he knows that I need the grade, so he's doing his share." The brunette stopped shoveling corn into her mouth when her comment drew the stares of her friends. She quirked an eyebrow, and mumbled with a full mouth. "What?"

"Moneybags is actually taking consideration of someone? Everyone duck and cover, it's Armageddon," Joey snickered, elbowing Tristan.

Mikomi rolled her eyes. "Guys, he's not that bad. You're just exaggerating."

"Aw, I think little Mikomi has a crush on Richie Rich," Tristan taunted. Mikomi sighed, once again feeling her eyes roll.

"Dear lord, Tristan, grow a brain."

* * *

"Kaiba?" The man regarded her with a glare.

"What do you want?"

"Sheesh, you're a bitch." She smiled as his stare intensified. "Anyway, how many people is it this time? I need to know how many sake bottles to bring out."

"Seven people. Only bring out two bottles; I don't want to have to pay for a cab like last time." Returning to his papers, he reorganized them, pulling out a pen in the process. "Mikimoto has an extremely low tolerance for alcohol."

Thinking for a moment, Mikomi flipped her bangs away from her face. "He's the CFO, if I remember correctly; am I right?"

Inwardly impressed at her knowledge, he glanced up at the waitress who was now pulling at her black uniform blouse. "Yes. Yes, he is."

"Damn sex offender."

"Groping you does not register him as a sex offender."

"It should."

During the meeting, the brunette caught bits and pieces of the conversation. Mr. Mikimoto quickly fell under the influence of the liquor, which caused him to flirt shamelessly with those serving him, Mikomi in particular.

It was well past eleven when the last businessman finally deserted Kaiba at the restaurant. Seeing that the place was practically empty and taking her chance, the waitress slumped unceremoniously in the chair opposite her classmate. She let out a long withheld sigh. "So, have fun with your meeting? I know just how _enjoyable_ middle-aged perverts can be."

Punching a few numbers into his calculator, he barely spared her a glance. "Just because one drunken business partner tried to pinch your ass does not make them all lecherous."

"Still, it's a bit disconcerting to be hit on by someone who could be my father." Twisting her mouth into a pout, she absentmindedly fiddled with a wrinkle in the white tablecloth. "Do you think I could file a lawsuit?"

"Not without losing a horrible amount of money."

"Hm. Too bad." Suddenly realizing something, she looked around almost frantically. "Where's Aki?!"

"Mokuba's babysitting. He shouldn't get into too much trouble." Filing his papers carefully into his briefcase, Kaiba stood tiredly. "Do you want to care of him tonight? We can stop for coffee."

_Did he just ask me if I wanted a ride?_ Mikomi shook her head regretfully. "I can't. I don't get off work for another hour."

He shrugged in response and began to make his way towards the door. "See you, then."

As she watched his back, Mikomi realized that a midnight coffee _did _sound nice, especially with her still unfinished essay due the next morning. The brunette ran a hand through her hair as she thought quickly. Making up her mind, she called out to the retreating man, effectively causing him to stop. She then ran to one of her friends and hastily explained that she had school matters to attend to, leaving her coworker with the promise of returning the favor another time. Returning to the CEO, she straightened herself.

"Can you drop me back at home after?"

"I exist only to serve you," he replied with a roll of his eyes. She lightly smacked his arm.

"Good. Are you driving?" He nodded. "Which car?"

Smirking, Kaiba strode from the building, ignoring her question as he waved entered the parking lot and waved to the valet.

"…The Porsche?" She ventured, her grin widening as his smirk winded a bit. The woman cheered as the car pulled up. Two men stepped from the silver convertible, holding the doors open for the couple. Taking the keys, Seto slid easily into the driver's seat. Stepping into the passenger's side, she offered a small thanks to her coworker, who merely smiled his appreciation.

Soon, the two were tearing down the empty streets of Domino. Mikomi vaguely noticed as they wound through the hills that Seto had chosen the longer route to his estate.

He slowed as they entered the drive to his mansion. Turning to his companion, however, he could not help but allow the corners of his mouth to turn up just a bit.

Mikomi sat still in the black leather seat, grinning broadly and trying to tame her windswept tresses. Her jade eyes danced wildly as she met Kaiba's gaze, and the next words that fell from her lips almost made him laugh.

"Can we take the scenic route back home?"

* * *

As the pair walked into the entryway, Mikomi was nearly barreled over by a miniature tornado.

"KOMI!"

She laughed lightly, returning the boy's hug. After frequent visits to the Kaiba estate, such an occurrence was hardly a surprise. After breaking the ice with Mokuba during her first visit, the two got along well. His mannerisms reminded her of her own younger brother back in the states, and she told him as much.

"Why don't you ever attack your brother anymore?"

Mokuba scrunched up his nose in distaste. "I see Seto everyday… besides, I already got him this morning." Releasing the woman, he looked to the ground, as if suddenly remembering something, and sported a guilty expression. "Mikomi…"

Sensing his unease, the brunette once again took notice of the lack of robotic baby noises. "Where is Aki, Mokuba?"

Still staring intently at the ground, he simply pointed upward. Kaiba and Mikomi both followed his indication, mouths opening in shock. The girl's hands flew to her mouth to muffle her scream.

"AKI!"

Seto rubbed his forehead in annoyance, trying in vain to fight off his developing headache. "Mokuba?"

"Yes, Older Brother?"

"How in God's name did you manage to get that thing stuck in the chandelier?"

* * *

Pulling up to her apartment complex, Kaiba reverted his car into park. They sat in silence. The woman shifted uncomfortably, staring into her half-drained cup of coffee.

"Hibana." The sound of her name made her jump slightly, gripping the newly retrieved Aki tighter.

"Ah?"

"I'm going out of town briefly Friday night and need someone to watch my brother." He met her gaze. "Are you free then?"

"Yes, I can babysit Mokuba, if that's what you're asking." Her smile eased Kaiba's little, if any, fears. So he was finally beginning to trust her, was he?

"Good."

"I'll see you Monday," She offered as she climbed out of the car.

Kaiba waited until she was inside the complex before driving away, contemplating why such a platonic statement could make his breath shutter as it did.


	6. Beginnings and Ends

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer rates apply.**

**A/N: First week of summer vacation! Expect a steady stream of these chapters this summer! Even though I work at a museum from 9-3 (which is way more fun than it sounds, this is my fourth year on the job), I will have plenty of time to type up more entertainment for you guys. Stay with me, please! Also, thank you for understanding there being no chapter last week. I was studying for my Pre-Calculus final, which was the only one that I was really worried about. Hopefully it paid off!**

**Dedicated to: those of you who waited and cheered me on through my finals. Thanks for your personal support, guys!**

**Enjoy!**

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 6**

**Beginnings and Endings**

"Don't worry about it, Kaiba. I've got everything under control."

Seto lifted a skeptical eyebrow before turning to his younger sibling. "Don't spend all your time playing video games. Get all of your homework done before the weekend." Mokuba nodded to Seto's ongoing list of instructions, mentally crossing off as his brother continued. "…and no hacking into rival companies' mainframes."

Mokuba scowled. There went his plans for the evening.

Seto turned back to Mikomi. "It's Security's night off, so don't forget to set the alarm at before ten."

"Yes, Papa," Mikomi laughed, lightly pushing the young CEO out of the doorway and toward Roland and the waiting car. "Chill out. You're acting like you're leaving for a week. Don't be so nervous!"

"I'm not nervous," Kaiba grumbled agitatedly. Mikomi ignored him.

"Like I said before, I've got everything _under control_."

The man scoffed, nodding to Roland as the guard opened the door of the black town car. "Just be sure that it stays that way, Hibana."

The door slammed shut, and Roland started up the engine. The limousine rolled smoothly down the gravel driveway, away from Seto's estate, brother, and classmate. Seto watched as the mansion disappeared, but continued to watch the spot it had once been, a frustrated frown marking his lips.

"_Don't screw this up, Hibana."_

* * *

"Mikomi, how do you do this?" Mokuba pointed out the problem on his mathematics homework. Komi glanced at the equation from her place at the kitchen stove. "Try using the quadratic equation." After receiving a black stare from her charge, she raised an eyebrow. "'X' is equal to negative 'b,' plus or minus the square root of 'b' squared minus four times 'a' times 'c,' all over the denominator of two times 'a.'"

Mokuba grinned. "We haven't learned that yet."

"Well, now you're smarter than everyone else in your class."

Mokuba scoffed, giving an excellent impression of his brother. "Well, that has already been clearly established. It's a good feeling." Mokuba chuckled, plugging his variables into the equation.

"Don't get too big of a head, now." Mikomi smiled and returned to the pot of boiling water.

* * *

"No… no! Darn it, Mokuba!" The brunette dropped the controller and through her hands up in exasperation. "Just give me a ten second handicap or something!"

A Cheshire Cat-like expression stretched across the boy's face. "Just face it, Komi… you suck at video games!"

"You just say that because you own them!"

"Okay, fine. We'll do it again, and I'll give you the handi."

"Okay… 'restart.'"

…

"God damn it, Mokuba, that was NOT ten seconds!"

* * *

"Want to watch some TV?"

"Sure. What's on?"

"Dunno. We've got too many channels for our own good. Oh! Here's something!"

"Come on, Mokuba, we're _not_ watching that!"

"Hey! Let go of the channel changer!"

"I am not going to waste my times watching other people play card games!"

"…How in the world are you friends with Yugi?"

"I have other means to occupy myself with."

* * *

When Kaiba returned home much later that night, he found an extremely exhausted Mikomi crashed on the game room sofa. However, he noticed with a mixture of surprise and pleasure, she had seemed to have gotten Mokuba to be at a reasonable time, unlike previous caretakers.

Being the gentleman he was, Kaiba padded carefully towards the couch, touching her shoulder and attempting unsuccessfully to shake the young woman from her dreams. "Hibana, you can go home, now."

"Umph… don't want to…" she shifted almost uncomfortably in her sleep, seeming to want to jerk away from the man's palm. "Don't want to… go yet… Seto… mmph." The brunette fell back into her deep slumber, unaware of the almost inaudible intake of breath from the duelist.

The man stood frozen in place, his breathing quiet. His name from her lips sent a shiver up his spine, but he could not determine whether it was a comfortable or an unpleasant feeling. After quickly composing himself, he sat on the chair opposite the woman. She slept peacefully as he watched her from his post. Finally making up his mind, he stood once more, striding to her side.

A light hand fell upon Mikomi's cheek, the touch itself tempting her away from the bliss that was her sleep. The following voice, which was usually harsh or condescending, spoke with such softness that she was coaxed quite easily into the waking world. She felt the touch recede from its position as she moved. Opening her eyes, Mikomi met the sapphire irises of her lab partner, and she swore that, for a moment, tenderness had crept its way somewhere under the surface.

"Get your things, and I'll take you home."

Bolting upright, she glanced around for a clock. "What time is it?"

"Late enough," Seto replied with a smirk. "Get your things," he repeated as he rose from his crouch, "and we'll go."

Mikomi stood tiredly, stretching slowly. With sleep still clouding her senses, she looked at Kaiba's look of annoyance and laughed, eventually finding her purse and shoes. Returning to stand in front of the homeowner, she smiled innocently, covering a yawn with her hand. "Ready?"

Kaiba merely nodded in response, guiding them to the front door with his hand on the small of her back. Mikomi suddenly stopped, remembering something. "Oh, I forgot Aki in the living room."

The man shook his head. "Leave it. What time did Mokuba get to sleep?" They continued towards the car in the drive, and Kaiba unlocked it as they approached.

"Around ten-thirty, I guess," she replied sleepily, covering another yawn. "You know that he's really old enough to stay by himself, right?"

"I feel more comfortable with someone else there. You have no idea how prone that child is to being kidnapped." Kaiba quietly admitted. Mikomi laughed quietly and pulled the car door shut behind her. She fell asleep as the car rolled into the night.

* * *

The remaining weeks passed, and the month finally came to a close. As the lunch bell rung, students streamed into the hallway. One pair in particular slouched tiredly from their science lab.

"I think that this is the first 'B' that I have ever received," the taller figure grumbled.

"It would have been an 'A' is you hadn't dropped the damned thing in front of the teacher," the smaller snapped back as she dragged her feet on the floor as they traversed the hall.

"It really doesn't matter, anyway," bragged Seto aloud. "I'm already the president of a multi-billion dollar corporation. I don't even see why I have to stay in high school."

"So that you could develop social skills." The woman stopped at her locker, opening it with a bang. "But you don't really interact with people, so that kind of defeats the purpose."

"I interact with you."

"You wouldn't have if we weren't forced together as lab partners." She shrugged. "All that matters now is that we don't have to deal with screaming children in a few weeks during summer break."

"Fortunately."

Mikomi smiled, remembering the angry words she had exchanged with her partner of an "unfortunate" nature. She beamed up at him.

"Yeah. Fortunately."


	7. The Boys of Summer

**Disclaimer: If I owned, Kaiba would get the stick out of his ass. Maybe. **

**A/N: So busy! To be honest, guys, this took a while because I'm so overworked. I was working at the museum for all of June, and I went to the Summer Seminar at SCAD (the Savannah College of Art and Design) where I had tons a fun and met a lot of really cool people in July. School and field hockey started in August, and I'm in three AP courses this year. Soccer started up in October, and I had to study of finals from Thanksgiving to December. The afternoon school got out on the 19th, I went hunting with my dad and grandpa for a week, returning in time for Christmas before going off again with the family to Colorado for skiing/snowboarding. In the middle of all this, a huge shock came when my grandpa had a heart attack and needed a quadruple-bypass surgery. I'm on my way back home in the car as I write this, because what else am I going to do as I ride 18 hours to Houston?**

**Without further adieu, here is your long-awaited chapter! Oh, and keep in mind that I'm going by the Japanese school calendar, as they do live in Japan. Or so it's presumed. It's never really clear. **

**Dedicated to: Katherine, Bria, Alex, Roy'el, Ben, and Brad, my SCAD buddies. I don't know if y'all are reading this, but I miss you guys! Also to Grandpa Fred. I love you!**

**Enjoy!**

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 7**

**The Boys of Summer**

Mikomi leapt out of her seat as the final bell rang, signaling the end of her torture. "I LIVED!"

"THE TORTURE IS OVER!" Joey hugged her enthusiastically. "SUMMER BREAK IS HERE!"

Téa stretched in her seat, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Nearly one month of no homework or exams! I can't believe we finally made it." She looked over to Komi, who had just finished chest-bumping Tristan. "You busy on the eighteenth of August?"

Mikomi thought for a minute before shrugging. "No way to tell. Why?"

Tristan hopped onto his chair. "For the birthday bash of a lifetime, of course!"

Komi blinked. "Birthday?"

"Yup!"

"Whose?"

"Mine!" Téa beamed. "Save the date, 'kay, girlie? I won't accept 'no' or an answer!"

The other brunette grinned. "Then I'll have to say 'yes', now won't I?" She looked at the clock before hurriedly grabbing her jacket and backpack. "Sorry, guys, I'll have to cut my celebrations short! I need to get to work."

Yugi, who had remained quiet until now, raised a startled eyebrow. "I thought that you only worked Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends."

"Different job, better rate!" She called over her shoulder as she rushed into the quickly emptying hallway, dodging others who pushed towards the doors that would lead to their freedom. Once freed into the parking lot, she rushed to her car, jumped in, and headed back home to change before setting off for the Kaiba estate.

She waved hello to the guards at the gate as she pulled into the drive, as she was now common sight on the grounds. Ringing a happy tune on the doorbell, she greeted Roland when the guard allowed her entrance.

"Mokuba!" Komi called into the seemingly empty mansion. A blur of black suddenly streaked down the staircase banister before coming to a stop before the young woman.

"Komi! It's summer!" Mokuba exclaimed excitedly, clenching his fists in eagerness. "No homework! Nothing!"

"I know!" They clasped hands, swinging around in joy. "No more lectures! No more exams!" The pair continued to laugh heartily, dancing in a circle.

The sound of someone clearing their throat echoed throughout the main hall. Mikomi and Mokuba paused, looking over to the imposing figure in the doorway. Seto gave the two a look that clearly conveyed his thoughts: _What the hell are you doing?_

Mokuba took in his brother's attire, frowning slightly. "I thought you weren't going into work today, Seto?"

The elder Kaiba sighed, fixing his cuffs as he strode toward the door. "Some executives from some of Kaiba Corp's affiliates arrived unexpectedly. They expect me to give them a tour of the facilities." He straightened his collar. "My cell phone will be off, so leave a message with my secretary if it's urgent. I should be back around eight."

"But, Brother-"

"Sorry, Mokuba. Another day." Seto left, settling into the back of the town car.

Mikomi looked down at Mokuba, whose previous excitement had vanished from his face. The boy shuffled his feet awkwardly; he had thought that he could, for once, eat together with his brother.

Komi roughly ruffled his black mane, causing him to look up in frustration. "Forget about it, okay? What do you want to do today?"

Mokuba brightened up a bit, but his melancholy was still evident in his eyes. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think it's up to you. Summer break, remember?" Komi grinned. The boy smiled back.

"Yeah! Summer break! What to do… ah!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Kaiba Land!"

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Kaiba Land? Can't you go there whenever you want?"

"Brother doesn't let me go when school's in session. He says I should 'focus on my studies.' Plus, whenever I go, I'm working!" His excitement had returned with a vengeance, and he raced upstairs. "I'm getting my shoes!"

The brunette just sighed and shook her head; the kid really knew how to bounce back.

* * *

"Yes! Haha!" Mokuba ran into the park, looking up at the rides with joy. Mikomi trailed behind, glad that she and her charge did not need to pay to expensive entrance fee. As she watched Mokuba continue to cheer, she grinned; his current attitude was a far cry from the disappointed preteen of an hour previous.

"Komi! Komi!" the sitter was shaken from her thoughts at the yell. "Let's go to the haunted house! Come on!" the girl laughed as her young ward dragged her towards the funhouse. It was proving to be an interesting start to her summer.

* * *

"…as well as maintaining the position of being one of the most profitable branches of the Kaiba Corporation, Kaibaland ensures a stable base for the company in the event of an unstable economy," Seto droned as the leaders of the many Europeans and American branches of Kaiba Corp. followed him interestingly. Even after only thirty minutes in the theme park, Seto was dragging.

The German branch president, Fritz Strauss, had brought alone his – clearly extremely disinterested – son, whom would probably take over the elder's position in a couple of years. The eyes of the twenty-something year old wandered from structure to structure, barely pausing as they passed onto the next distraction. Seto could bet that the young man had barely heard a word he had said, and made a mental note to push more responsibilities on that branch in the years to come.

The group paused briefly in front of the roller coaster. "Any questions?" Ready to carry on, he was somewhat surprised to see the Canadian branch vice president (the president was currently on a bear hunting expedition and had been out of contact for several days) raise his hand. "Yes?"

"Who's that kid over there? He seems familiar with you, eh?"

Curious, Kaiba turned to see a frantically waving Mokuba on the steps of the haunted house. "Seto! Hey, Seto!" The boy ran towards his brother, skidding to a stop a couple of feet from him. Seto raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Hibana?"

As if suddenly realizing, Mokuba looked around. "Yeah. Where did she go?"

"Mooooooooookuuuubaaaaaaaaaa…" A bedraggled looking girl wandered out of the funhouse.

The boy was alarmed. "Komi? What happened to you?!"

"I'll scold you later." She straightened up when she caught sight of Seto and his associates. "Kaiba. I thought you had a meeting."

"I do." He nodded towards the motley crew. "Here." Mikomi mouthed an "oh" and gave a shallow bow to the group. Seto cleared his throat. "My brother, Mokuba," he introduced, "and his caretaker Mikomi Hibana."

The executives murmured in acknowledgment. Strauss' son seemed to finally find something to rest his eyes on. "Charmed," he smirked, gaze moving over Komi's figure. She quirked an eyebrow but otherwise ignored him.

"Sorry, Kaiba, we'll leave you to your business. Come on, Mokuba. I badly need a lemonade, right now," the young woman towed off the hyped up boy in the direction of the food court. "Later, Kaiba!"

Silence fell over the group of businessmen. Seto cleared his throat, turning back to his subordinates. "So, are there any questions that are actually pertinent to the tour?"

The Canadian vice-president wisely kept his mouth shut.

* * *

The sun shone down on Mikomi brightly as she hopped out of her car and opened the passenger door for Téa. "Here we are, Madame. The beach awaits," she bowed mockingly.

"Komi, sometimes I wonder about you."

"Sometimes I wonder about me, too. Where are the guys? Didn't you tell them?"

"Yeah," Téa sighed. "I also told them to come a hour earlier than they were supposed to. You know what that means."

"Yup."

"They're lost," the girls groaned, leaning against the car. The happily shining sun bore down upon them with its harsh rays. "Well," breathed Komi, "we might as well get changed already. No telling when they'll show up."

The boys finally arrived a good forty-five minutes later, Yugi apologizing and Joey grumbling. Téa deemed, with all the authority a birthday girl could muster, that they all had to pay for her food consumption that day. They grudgingly agreed, Tristan mourning the sad state of his wallet.

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Nope," muttered Mikomi, a look of intense concentration on her face. "Not at all."

"Hey, guys," Tristan interjected worriedly.

"What?"

"How long do I have to stand like this?" He was currently bending over with his hands on his knees.

Joey scoffed. "Until we can bury y' upright." He continued to pat the crumbling sand over Tristan's thighs.

"I can't feel my legs anymore. And I need to go to the bathroom."

"We can build you a sand toilet, then," Joey sniggered. Téa rolled her eyes as she watched the event unfold. How Komi had convinced the boys into doing this, she did not know, nor did she want to find out. The other girl had a scary way of persuading others into things. The dancer briefly wondered how much trouble her friend made for others when she was younger.

"Argh! Enough of this!" Tristan yelled. "My legs are cramping!" He scooped up some wet sand and threw it at his smallest friend.

"Hey!" Yugi exclaimed before the pat of mud hit him in the face. He spluttered as he wiped it away from his eyes, and he, too, threw some sand at Tristan. "Take that!"

Tristan, buried up past his knees, fell over backwards, his legs still stuck upright in the piled sand. "I can't move!"

Joey laughed, grabbing a handful of mud himself. "All the better for us!"

Not a single person was clean by the end of the mudslinging. Tristan was the worst off by far, as he had only been able to set himself free of his sand prison at the end of the fight. The sand had caked on his body and in his hair, something he would not let his friends forget. After a short search for crabs, but failing miserably, the group washed off what they could of the sand in the tide before drying off and returning to the cars.

"It's going to take forever to get this out, you know."

"Tristan?" Joey ground out as he concentrated on following Mikomi's weaving car.

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up."

* * *

Mikomi blearily opened her eyes. Once her vision cleared slightly, she was able to discern that there was something on her cheek. Once her mind cleared more, she was able to discern that that something that was on her cheek was a foot.

Joey's foot.

On her face.

She shot upright, looking around. Sprawled in various states of disarray throughout the room, her friends continued to snore on as the early hours ticked by. The previous night, the group had all returned to Yugi's home (decided unanimously to be the best location for a sleepover) for food, movies, and games into the wee hours of the morning. Past one, however, they had begun to drop like flies. The birthday girl was first to doze off, popcorn bowl still clutched in her hands. Yugi was next, succumbing to the powers of the movie as well, and then Komi, as she watched Tristan and Joey duke it out on the video game console. She did not know how long the other boys stayed up, but, by the image displayed on the television, they had dropped off in the middle of a Halo battle.

Mikomi switched off the TV.

Digging through her bag, the brunette produced a neatly wrapped box, setting it next to Téa's sleeping figure. As she left the Game Shop, she greeted and thanked Mr. Moto, who was preparing the store for the day's customers.

She opened the door, and the sun streamed in.


	8. We are Family

**Disclaimer: There was once a world where I owned **_**Yu-gi-oh**_**, but some higher power deemed it too great and destroyed it. But I know that it existed. I know it did. **

**A/N: Yeah, I kind of don't really have an excuse. End of senior year? Yes. Crazy Summer? Yes. Starting college? Oh, yes. So here I am, all settled in, and my roommate reminds me that I haven't updated ANYTHING in over half a year. **

**Oops.**

**So, I decided to work on this fic first, since I love it so much. Caroline, my super awesome roommate from the galaxy of tremendous amazingness, has agreed to read over it and help me along, since I am an insanely good procrastinator and cannot get things done. I gave her a five minute summary of **_**Yu-gi-oh!**_** to help her, but I'm sure I'll be answering questions as we go along. **

**By the way, if any of you are good artists, I would like to know how you guys picture Mikomi! I love feedback, and sometimes the best way to receive it (especially on an original character) is through depictions of that character. **

**Dedicated to: my maternal grandmother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer this spring and has recently beat it! I love you, Grammy! **

**Enjoy!**

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 8**

**We are Family**

"Hibana! The Kaiba party has arrived!"

"Alright!" she called back, rising from her spot in the break room. One of the older waitresses sighed.

"You know, despite how incredibly attractive that young man is, I do not envy you in the least."

"It's nice to know that I have your support," Komi quipped drily. She washed her hands at the kitchen sink before taking up her notepad and pen and plastering an obviously fake smile on her face. Mikomi left the kitchen and headed towards the back rooms, where a few men had already arrived. Seto, she had noticed, was not present; the reservation was for eight o' clock, after all, and it was barely seven-thirty.

She widened her grin. "Hello, gentlemen, and welcome to Kaneyama. My name is Mikomi, and I will be your server for this evening. Could I start you off with some drinks while you wait for the others to arrive?"

A small man in his late fifties beamed up at her. "That would be lovely, thank you. Some of, oh, what's it called…" he spoke in broken, accented Japanese before muttering in some language under his breath. French, maybe? Komi smiled.

"Sake?"

"Yes, that's it! A few bottles?"

"Of course, sir." She collected the others orders. Coming to the youngest of the group, a man that seemed to be only a few years older than herself, she came upon some irritation. The blonde had smiled and began to chat her up, sliding in what she knew to be some of the worst pick up lines ever.

"Was your father a thief? Because I think he stole the stars and put them in your eyes," he commented as she refilled his water. Nearing the end of her rope, she turned to him with her business-smile in place.

"No, sir, my father is not a thief. He's a Texas oil tycoon. Please, excuse me." She left the private room and hustled to the kitchen, where she slammed the water pitcher onto the counter. One of the assistant chefs looked up and smiled.

"Someone rubbing you the wrong way, Komi-chan?" he questioned cheerfully as he sautéed whatever was in his skillet. "Want me to take care of it?"

Mikomi smiled, feeling better. Tono-san was nearing his late fifties and gave off the "tough grandfather" sort of vibe. "No, thank you, Tono-san," she said laughing. "There's no one I can't handle." Tono-san snorted good-naturedly at the comment.

"You'll find someone one day. They're out there, you know. I've got one, but I can't escape my wife," he grinned broadly.

His infectious smile spread to the brunette, who, feeling much relieved, took a calming breath and returned to the private room.

Kaiba arrived promptly at eight o'clock, another gaggle of business partners in his trail. He gave Mikomi a quick once-over as he entered the room, observing her already strained expressions. He glanced over to the table wondering why in the world she would be– his eyes found the culprit almost immediately.

The rest of the night went much more smoothly than it had before. Mikomi received fewer flirtations from the young German and a heavy tip. She found that she really appreciated American generosity. Seto closed up his talks, and the dinner ended, the foreign businessmen retiring to their hotel suites.

As usual, Seto remained seated. Mikomi brought out a coffee for him and sat down, sipping quietly at her own tea. He accepted the coffee gratefully, especially after Mikomi withdrew a bottle of ibuprofen from her apron. The two sat in comfortable silence. Kaiba's sigh broke it.

Mikomi quirked an eyebrow inquisitively.

Kaiba shook his head in dismissal.

Mikomi sat back in her chair.

When Seto had finished his coffee, she returned the dishes to the kitchen and reemerged with some fruits.

Although neither spoke a word for the next half-hour, neither felt bothered by the lack of conversation between them. If anything, the fact that he did not have to actually vocalize his thoughts helped Seto more than if the younger brunette had sat and hung on his every word.

When he left, the farewell was a short "I'll see you tomorrow."

And, for some reason she could not explain, Mikomi found that she did not mind the idea in the least.

* * *

Mikomi and Mokuba watched the elder Kaiba as he strode impatiently through the house. After his third pass through the living room, Mokuba spoke up. "What are you doing?"

Seto threw an irritated glare at the boy. "I'm looking for my cell phone." Mokuba gave him a look. "What?"

"Are you serious? You always have your cell. You're like a teenage girl." He sat back, ignoring his brother's intensifying glare. "Sometimes I wonder if you had it surgically attached to your hand."

"This, obviously, disproves your 'theory,'" grumbled the elder brother, pulling apart the couch.

Mikomi frowned. "No need to be so snippy." She ignored his glare. "You left it on the table last night. I have it at home."

"Couldn't you have brought it today?" he growled.

"It's sitting on the table next to the door. I put it there so I wouldn't forget it… but I did anyway," Mikomi admitted unashamedly.

Kaiba stared at her (whether in confusion or appall, he did not know) before releasing a sigh. "Well, come on, then. I can't use it if it's at _your_ apartment. It's late anyway, so I can drop you off instead of Roland. Roland," the man strode into the room.

"Yes, sir?"

"Stay with Mokuba."

"Yes, sir."

Kaiba turned to Mikomi. "What are you waiting for?" The girl rolled her eyes at his impatience, and hauled herself off of the couch.

"Your car or mine?" Kaiba scoffed. "Yours, then. Bye, Mokuba." The two strode through to house to the garage, and Kaiba slid easily into the driver's side of the Veyron as Mikomi similarly eased into the passenger seat. Although it had taken her a few months, she was now comfortable with the fact that, whenever she rode with Seto, she was riding in the most expensive cars in the world. The Bugatti, however, easily topped the charts, and every time she sat down, she marveled at the fact that she was riding on over a million American dollars.

Seto drove the fastest route to her apartment, managing to park in front of the complex in seemingly no time. Mikomi hopped out, hauling her purse over her shoulder and oh so carefully shut the door. As she walked up to the doors, however, she noticed the lack of footsteps behind her, and turned to find the young CEO still seated in his car. She frowned.

"Kaiba, I'm not going to come back down when you can just as easily come up to get it."

He looked at her through the rolled-down window. "_I_ wasn't the one who left it up there."

"Well, _I _wasn't the one who left it at the restaurant in the first place!" she retorted, somewhat agitatedly. The two continued to glare at each other, neither willing to concede victory to the other. Finally, Seto rolled up his window and stepped out of the car. Mikomi ignored his venomous gaze and led him through the door and to the elevator.

"Oh stop sulking, Kaiba. It'll be over quickly," she teased. The young man snorted and crossed his arms, but the malice had drained from his visage.

"I know it. I'm just anxious to get it back; those foreign partners are _still_ in town, and I have to play host to them, so I don't know if they've called about some _inane_ question that could be answered if they would look at Kaiba Corp.'s Wikipedia page," he sighed, rubbing his forehead. Mikomi commiserated with him – the questions she had overheard at the meeting the night before were simplistic, and she was sure she could have given complete answers to most of them.

She hummed in understanding. "Well, just think of it this way: they'll be gone soon."

Kaiba chuckled darkly. "Strauss wants to leave his son here to gain some work experience before returning to Germany."

Mikomi froze. "What?" Seto nodded his head. "If I have to serve dinner to that imbecilic boy one more time, I'll explode! A girl can only take so many bad pick-up lines before they stop being funny!"

Kaiba suddenly frowned. "He was hitting on you?"

Mikomi looked at him curiously. His voice sounded deeper than usual, and she could have sworn she had seen something akin to anger flash through his eyes. "Why should you care?"

She had never seen Kaiba surprised before, but she had to admit it was an amusing experience. He blinked his sapphire eyes in an almost-innocent manner, and his frown had twisted into a confused pout. She laughed and waved off her statement. "Never mind! It doesn't matter. Ah, here we are!" The elevator beeped and the doors slid open, and the pair exited into the hall.

* * *

"Why should you care?"

Seto was stunned. Why _did_ he care? What business was it of his if stupid little Lukas Strauss decided to flirt with his lab partner/waitress/babysitter? Skirt-chasing, insipid, poncy, blathering Lukas Strauss…

He could not deny the distinct vein of rage that had jolted through him when he had heard her irritated words. Before he could stop them, his anger tumbled off his lips. _He was hitting on you?_

However, only one thing now crossed his mind: he was getting Lukas Strauss away from Hibana as quickly as he could, regardless of tact or injury to the German branch of Kaiba Corp. And that thought, as true as it was, scared him.

"Never mind! It doesn't matter!" He snapped back to attention at his companion's voice, and he managed to see her laughter dance briefly through her jade eyes before she faced forward. "Ah, here we are!" He followed her off the elevator and down the hallway.

* * *

"Here we are… 434. Keys, keys…" she mumbled as she dug through her purse. Once she unlocked the door, she pushed it open, only to be met with a cacophony of mewls from her cat, who wound in and out of her feet. "Alright, I know, I'll feed you in a second!" As if he understood, Byakuya leapt atop the counter and stopped his cries. Instead, he studied the newcomer. "Hey, I guess I didn't put it on the table. Wait here – I'll be right back," called Mikomi as she disappeared into the apartment, turning on lights as she went.

Seto was left in the entryway. After a few minutes, it had become painfully clear that she wasn't going to reemerge soon, and he took the opportunity to sweep his gaze around the home.

Her living area was sparse, but well-furnished, and it flowed neatly into her kitchen that, while small, contained everything she needed to make her own meals. A small hallway led to what he assumed to be a bathroom and a bedroom. However, the most interesting part of the humble abode had to be the black kitten that had been analyzing him for the last five minutes.

The kitten stared at him. Seto stared back. They stood in silence for a little longer before Seto surprised the both of them by extending a hand for the small cat to consider. Byakuya sniffed the hand before moving under it, rubbing against the new person's palm.

"Alright, here it is, I left it in my coat… pocket…" Seto looked up to see Mikomi's stunned face, his phone resting in her hand. She shook her head. "Ah, yeah, here it is. I had put it in my coat this morning, and forgot to give it to you."

"Great," Seto took the phone and checked his messages; luckily, no missed calls. "I'll be going, then."

"Right. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Seto nodded, pushing the phone into his pocket. She grasped the handle and opened the door. "Goodnight, Kai-"

"SURPRISE!"

The two teens jumped as the two voices yelled. The kitten had jumped onto the closest human and clung to his shirt. Seto, too stunned to remove the cat from his expensive button-down, just stared at the couple in the hallway. Mikomi managed to find her words, but they only served to astonish the man further.

"M-mom? Dad?"

A tall blonde woman and a large dark-haired man filled the doorway as they rushed to hug their daughter. "Oh, honey, we just wanted to come in town and surprise you for your birthday!" the woman gushed, quickly laying kisses on Mikomi's cheeks. After a moment, though, she paused and stared at the still-speechless Seto Kaiba.

"Honey, I didn't know you had a boyfriend!"


End file.
